“Destruction and suffering are the school of social thought.”
Source: The Captive Mind
“Honesty is the best approach - and some understanding of how cancer patients see their illness can help. Cliched terms and thoughtless positives don't work, such as, 'You look good, though.' 'At least you got the good cancer.' 'Be strong.' 'You got this.' 'This is just a season.”
Source: Voices of Cancer: What We Really Want, What We Really Need
“Good things can come from thinking about and facing your death. It's about understanding life.”
Source: Voices of Cancer: What We Really Want, What We Really Need
“Could mankind declare it was truly wise? Did man know everything on earth, or would he ever? Certainly not!”
Source: Brushstrokes of a Gadfly
“Once you have faced what could kill you, there's no going back.”
Source: Voices of Cancer: What We Really Want, What We Really Need
“What is all the suffering for if not so we can see how alike we are, and not alone? Where will the mercy come from, if not from us?”
Source: When the Stars Go Dark
“Being afraid is one thing. Being alone and afraid is far worse. Find others who understand your fears and problems.”
Source: Voices of Cancer: What We Really Want, What We Really Need
“The sword does not feel the pain that it inflicts. Do not ask it about suffering.”
Source: From Cruelty to Goodness
“X maintains we are at the end of a "cosmic cycle" and that soon everything will fall apart. And he does not doubt this for one moment.
At the same time, he is the father of a--numerous--family. With certitudes like his, what aberration has deluded him into bringing into a doomed world one child after the next? If we foresee the End, if we are sure it will be coming soon, if we even anticipate it, better to do so alone. One does not procreate on Patmos.”
Source: The Trouble with Being Born
“People don't understand how much spiritual darkness makes depression worse. The mental illness is bad enough by itself, but when you're spiritually malnourished, the only thing you have left to rely on are your physical senses. If I can't feel anything spiritually, I'll try anything to feel with my five senses. I want to taste something that will blow my mind, touch whatever is going to make me feel good, see whatever causes my mind to fantasize the most - and the cycle continues. I just wanted to feel alive.
That's the real reason so many people spend money on things they don't need, ride the roller coaster of casual sex, or party every weekend until they can't think straight. They just want to feel alive. I learned the hard way that you can't sin your way out of suffering. In the end you just create more suffering from your sin. You can't wake yourself up from a depressive funk with obsessive addiction. It won't work. Trust me, I've tried it. Winning at work won't be enough. The applause of others won't fulfill you. It will haunt you in your private moments.”
Source: I Am Restored: How I Lost My Religion but Found My Faith